The "Honest" Beta Deceived Day and Night by a Twisted Obsessive - Chapter 23

“So, what if he’s the fiancé?”

“Someone’s at home?”

The group looked at one another in disbelief. They couldn’t reconcile the word “home” with someone like Xie Yun. To the outside world, he was a cold, distant workaholic a high-functioning machine devoid of earthly desires.

Yet none of them had ever seen his private side. Given Xie Yun’s status, no one dared to question his honesty. After he left, the topic dominated their conversation for a long time. Xie Ming, in particular, was dying to know who this person was. The fact that they were waiting at home suggested this wasn’t just a fleeting fling.

He made a hasty excuse and left shortly after.

***

Xie Yun had brought Duan Huaijing to his own house a few days ago. He had tricked the younger man, claiming he was worried others might see the “marks” on his body. Dull and trusting as ever, Duan Huaijing had followed him.

Only Xie Yun knew the truth: he did this to satisfy his own need for control. He went mad if he didn’t see Duan Huaijing for a single day, and he couldn’t stand the thought of other “cur dogs” laying eyes on him.

He had intentionally left prominent marks on the day Duan Huaijing was drugged, then played the part of the guilt-ridden gentleman, apologizing profusely. Seeing that Duan Huaijing wanted to comfort him, he struck while the iron was hot and suggested he move in.

Duan Huaijing hadn’t suspected a thing. He didn’t see the flash of predatory, obsessive desire that Xie Yun quickly masked the moment he agreed.

Back in the present, Xie Yun walked up to the second floor and stopped outside a bedroom. He knocked like a gentleman, letting his presence be known. When there was no answer, he knocked twice more. Finally, a heavy thud came from inside, like someone falling off the bed.

“Duan Huaijing?”

The only response was a muffled, suppressed groan.

Xie Yun tested the handle. He had already decided to use the spare key if it was locked, but to his surprise, the door opened. The room was clean and minimalist. He glanced at the empty bed. He scanned the room and realized Duan Huaijing was missing.

Xie Yun stepped inside and closed the door. He didn’t need X-ray vision; he simply had a gut feeling that Duan Huaijing was hiding on the far side of the bed. As he approached, the edge of the bedsheet fluttered slightly, like a trembling Mimosa plant.

Playing along, Xie Yun paced around the room while keeping his eyes fixed on the hiding spot. He could see the slight frame of Duan Huaijing huddled on the floor, hugging his knees. Hearing Xie Yun get closer, the poor man tried to scramble under the bed in a blind panic.

Tsk. What a place to choose.

Xie Yun ended the game and strode over.

Duan Huaijing thought he was safe; he figured if he lay flat, Xie Yun wouldn’t see him. He just wanted to hide the state he was in. But as his head slipped under the frame, he felt a chill on his neck, then his waist. his legs. A shiver ran down his spine, a primal fear as if he were being coiled by a cold, venomous snake.

He froze and glanced sideways. A pair of custom-made black leather shoes stood right beside him.

Caught.

That was his first thought. His second thought was cut short as Xie Yun hoisted him up by the scruff of his neck like a helpless kitten.

“What is wrong with you?” Xie Yun knelt, his tone level but laced with a reprimanding edge. “Crawling into any old hole you can find?”

Duan Huaijing’s face flushed, half from embarrassment, half from the exertion of being stuck. He slowly pulled himself out, looking like a mess.

“Big Brother,” he eventually stammered.

“Yes?”

Duan Huaijing took a deep breath, resigning himself to his fate. “I think… I’m stuck.”

The silence in the room was absolute. Duan Huaijing, looking less like a protagonist and more like a trapped animal, called out again. His voice was a mix of shame and a tiny, subconscious hint of dependence.

“Mmhmm,” Xie Yun hummed, his voice rising as if he were stifling a laugh.

To Duan Huaijing’s ears, it sounded like: You were brave enough to get in, but not smart enough to get out. He added this to his mental list of Xie Yun’s “sins” and waited for rescue.

Xie Yun was an Alpha who kept fit; lifting the bed and pulling Duan Huaijing out was child’s play. But the moment he was out, the damp, shameful marks on his trousers were impossible to hide.

“Look at me,” Xie Yun commanded, cupping Duan Huaijing’s face to prevent him from looking away.

Duan Huaijing remained stubborn, staring into the void until his eyes grew red and watery. Xie Yun sighed softly, his voice dropping into a low, coaxing tone. “Why are you crying?” He reached out, gently brushing a tear away with his thumb.

Duan Huaijing tried to speak, but his voice hitched, so he shut his eyes. In the angle Duan Huaijing couldn’t see, Xie Yun brought the finger that had wiped the tear to his nose and inhaled.

Betas don’t have pheromones, but to Xie Yun, the scent was intoxicating. It was Duan Huaijing’s own natural body scent.

So sweet.

As Duan Huaijing wept silently with his back turned, Xie Yun’s internal monologue descended into madness: So sweet. My baby’s sweat is sweet. I want to strip him and lick every inch of him. No, not yet, I’ll scare him. But he’s so cute when he’s scared.  I love him so much…

He opened his eyes, his gaze dark and serpentine. He pressed the tear-stained finger to his own lips and licked it, savoring it like the finest nectar. He watched the tears fall, feeling a twinge of regret that they were being “wasted” on the carpet.

“I don’t even know why I’m crying,” Duan Huaijing whispered.

He felt hollow. He hated that a drug could turn him into a stranger. He hated the way he craved the very thing he loathed. The drug flared up again, like a parasite gnawing at his marrow, injecting a fresh wave of heat that left him boneless.

“Do you need pheromones?” Xie Yun asked softly.

Yes, yes, desperately, his mind screamed.

“No,” Duan Huaijing said instead, turning away. “You should leave, Big Brother. Before the drug kicks in and you can’t get away.”

He was like a self-sabotaging hedgehog, raising his quills against the only person trying to get close. He was too proud to ask for help and too accustomed to people giving up on him.

He expected to hear Xie Yun walk away. But instead, a familiar warmth enveloped him. A pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders, as comforting as a sun-warmed blanket. The room filled with the scent of cedarwood.

“Big Brother?”

“I think you just need a hug,” Xie Yun whispered, gently patting his back.

The proximity was agony. The cedarwood scent wafted from Xie Yun’s clothes, luring him in. Duan Huaijing gripped his own arm so hard his fingers shook. “Big Brother… if you do this, I won’t be able to control myself.”

Xie Yun stopped patting. He stared into Duan Huaijing’s eyes with a magnetic intensity.

“Then why control it?” Xie Yun’s voice was husky and dark.

Something snapped in Duan Huaijing’s mind. The words planted a seed: I will give you whatever you want. Why resist? He was a Beta; he couldn’t be marked. It was just a scent. His eyes glazed over as he looked at Xie Yun’s lips. He didn’t care what Xie Yun was saying anymore. He just wanted to kiss him. He wanted that cedarwood scent to reach his very core.

He didn’t realize he was leaning in until their lips were inches apart. Then, a final spark of reason flickered. No! This is wrong. He’s Xie Ming’s brother. I’m still engaged.

He tried to pull back, but Xie Yun’s hand moved to the back of his head, pinning him in place.

“Don’t you want it?” Xie Yun’s voice was a silken trap.

“I do,” Duan Huaijing confessed, completely mesmerized.

“Then take it,” Xie Yun urged.

Duan Huaijing leaned in to claim the “fruit.” He thought he was the one taking the initiative, unaware that Xie Yun’s hand was firmly forcing him forward.

Just as they connected, the sound of the front door opening echoed from downstairs. Duan Huaijing flinched, but Xie Yun kissed him harder, effectively drowning out his doubts. His fingers tangled in Duan Huaijing’s hair, his veins bulging with the sheer force of his possessive grip.

Suddenly, a new scent entered the air. An Alpha’s territorial instinct is strongest when they are aroused. The intruder was Xie Ming.

Xie Yun felt a surge of dark satisfaction. He listened to his brother’s footsteps while kissing his brother’s fiancé. He wove his pheromones into a cocoon, trapping Duan Huaijing in a world where only the smell of cedarwood existed.

So what if he’s the fiancé? Xie Yun thought.

He was the one who stayed by Duan Huaijing’s side. He was the one whose pheromones Duan Huaijing craved. He was the one who solved Duan Huaijing’s problems while Xie Ming threw him away.

Duan Huaijing belonged to him.

Xie Ming followed the scent up to the second floor, feeling a sense of repulsion. His own pheromones were clashing with his brother’s like opposing magnets. He wondered if his brother was with a woman—he had never known Xie Yun to let his pheromones leak like this.

He stopped in front of the bedroom door where the scent was strongest. He knocked politely. “Big Brother? Are you in there?”

Xie Yun didn’t answer. He pulled back slightly, teasing the semi-conscious Duan Huaijing. “Xie Ming is outside,” he whispered.

It wasn’t a warning; it was a taunt.

Duan Huaijing, frustrated by the loss of the scent, let out a soft whine and grabbed Xie Yun’s shirt, pulling him back down.

Outside, Xie Ming froze. He had heard that muffled groan. It sounded hauntingly familiar.

Is Duan Huaijing in there?

He dismissed the thought. His brother wasn’t blind. Why would he want someone as dull as Duan Huaijing? But the doubt lingered. His hand settled on the door handle, ready to uncover the truth.

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